1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems, equipment and operations providing both manual and automatic banking services at drive-up or walk-up bank service units, and more particularly to systems, equipment and operations by which one or more customer stations remote from one of a bank's central control facilities may provide banking services to dispense cash or accept deposits, either manually with the help of a teller, or automatically in the absence of any bank personnel.
The equipment permits a customer to carry out financial transactions at a customer station remote from a central control facility of a bank, with the help of banking personnel, or automatically with no bank personnel in attendance. Finally, the invention relates to such manually or automatically operated banking systems, equipment and operations which provide maximum protection for money or articles handled, by locating the money to be dispensed or the articles that have been deposited at all times at a central control facility of a bank remote from one or more customer service units served by the central facility, and where money is dispensed to a customer or deposits received from a customer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Drive-up or walk-up customer service unit stations have been used, controlled manually by teller attendance within a central bank facility, or at a teller station remote from its central facility to enable a customer to engage in banking transactions at a remote drive-up or walk-up banking service station. Money and papers are conveyed between teller and customer through pneumatic tube conveyors. Communication is provided audibly through intercoms, and visually either directly or through television. Such equipment requires the attendance of a teller at the central facility or at a teller station, to manually assist in providing the banking services performed.
Prior equipment of such types has the advantage of providing maximum protection for the cash, money, checks, papers or other articles involved in the transactions, since, when initially dispensed or finally received, they are located and stored at the bank facility or teller's station, excepting during conveyance through the pneumatic tube system to or from the customer. However, such systems, equipment and operations essentially are manually performed and require the attendance of a teller. Thus, such banking services only can be provided with the described equipment during normal banking hours when tellers are available.
Other types of banking service systems, equipment and operations have avoided the manual operation and teller attendance difficulties at the expense, however, of security. Thus, unmanned cash dispensers at remote stations are used to store a supply of cash or money. Units of money are dispensed to a customer from the supply at the remote cash dispenser station after the customer has established his identity and has been cleared for the requested bank service.
These prior remotely located cash dispensers, however, require the storage of a supply of cash to be maintained at all times at each of the remote stations; and require the services of traveling personnel to inspect and service the remote station components and to replenish the money supplies frequently at each of the remote stations. Safeguarding the personnel replenishing the cash supplies, or protecting the cash supplies themselves, or guarding the personnel servicing the equipment at many remote stations is difficult and costly.
There exists a need in the field of banking services for unmanned customer service facilities remote from main banking buildings but available at all times to customers establishing authorized identity, while providing maximum security at minimum cost at all times for the stored money involved in the transactions to be carried out at any unmanned remote customer station.